How You Can Get In Shape When You're Ridiculously Busy With Life
What if you have no time for fitness?
“I wish I had the time to work out or prioritize fitness.”
I’m at the age now where I keep running into friends who let their fitness slip. They yearn for their younger years when they were in top shape and full of energy. The truth is that life gets in the way. You can’t have the perfect schedule that some 22-year-old influencer with no responsibilities shares on social media. You can’t wake up to manifest from the universe while expressing gratitude as you sip your matcha tea because you’re busy with work and real life. However, just because you’re busy, it doesn’t mean that you have permission to neglect your health.
So how do you get into your shape when you’re swamped with real life obligations? Here’s the ultimate guide for busy professionals looking to get fit…
One day you’re young and filled with energy. You’re ready to take on the world, and you feel like you can do it all. Then life gets busy, and you find yourself wondering about what happened to that body that you used to flaunt. You’re not in the shape you once were. You barely even get a chance to work out anymore. You’re not even sure if you don’t work out because you don’t have the energy or if you don’t have the energy because you don’t work out.
You already know how important your health is. You want to look better and feel better. You keep putting your fitness off because you’re so busy, and have to focus on other things.
You can’t work out like you used to, right?
The biggest issue with putting off your fitness.
The further off-course you go, the more challenging it becomes to get back on track. You don’t want to become a write-off when you hit 40 because you still have at least another 40 years to live. You’re also not going to enjoy the second part of your life if you’re in terrible shape or if you don’t have the stamina to enjoy any activity.
This excerpt from “Die With Zero” should be eye-opening:
“Nothing has a greater effect on your ability to enjoy experiences—at any age—than your health. In fact, health is actually a lot more valuable than money, because no amount of money can ever make up for very poor health—whereas people in good health but with little money can still have many wonderful experiences.” — Bill Perkins
As important as it is to take your finances seriously and ensure that your bills are paid, you can’t ignore the consequences of neglecting your health.
Here’s how you can get in shape when you’re busy…
Get your eating dialed in.
You’ve likely seen some stat about how getting in shape is 70% diet and 30% training or something along those lines. This is accurate, and you can’t outrun a fork. Chances are that as you get busier, your activity level drops while your eating worsens.
You absolutely can’t ignore this aspect of fitness. I also can’t overlook that most advice on eating better is flat-out unrealistic. You don’t have time to eat six small meals throughout the day or to prepare every single meal.
There are a few ways to make eating healthier easier when you’re already busy:
Try a form of intermittent fasting to limit your chances of screwing up. I personally switch between the one meal-a-day diet (not as serious as it sounds) and any kind of tight eating window.
Find go-to “healthy” places for eating out if you don’t have time to cook. Eating out doesn’t have to break the bank for you, nor does it have to destroy your fitness goals. I have a few all-day breakfast spots near me, and I rely on places like Chipotle when I want to get my protein in.
Pay for meal prep services. If you’re making great money, you may as well invest back into yourself. Whenever I’m busier than usual, I pay for these meal prep delivery services to ensure that I’m still eating well so that my busy schedule doesn’t destroy my physical progress.
Make cooking into a fun ritual. Cooking isn’t always the most exciting activity, but you can turn it into a ritual on your own, with friends, or with your partner. When I’m alone, I put on an interesting podcast while I prepare a feast. When I’m with someone, we play some tunes and solve the world’s problems while making dinner.
Have cheat days instead of a cheat life. I’m not here to suggest that you have to eat clean 100% of the time. I don’t think anyone knows what eating clean is, as you could debate this endlessly. The goal is to treat yourself occasionally instead of relying on junk food as your main fuel source. I fully support having some pizza during a fight night or indulging at a special occasion. I don’t want you to default to eating junk food daily because it’s slightly more convenient.
The rest of the advice in this article is useless if you don’t figure out your eating.
Add some play to your life.
“We must make time for play and prioritize it as an essential part of our lives. It is through play that we tap into our truest selves and unleash our creative potential." — Greg McKeown
As you get older, it becomes tempting to meet for beers instead of trying something new. Whenever a friend reaches out about meeting up, I always suggest an activity.
How do you add more play to your life?
Walk more. This can involve just making a habit out of walking or
Join some sports team. You can join any kind of soccer, basketball, or baseball team to get more activity in.
Try dance lessons. This fun activity forces you out of your comfort zone while getting some exercise in.
Find any excuse to be more active. Ride your bike to work a few times per week, go play some frisbee in the park, or join a pickup game in the park.
As you get busier, falling into a mundane routine is tempting. You finish work, and you meander home. You end up watching another series in front of the couch while ordering from one of your phone's multiple food delivery apps.
Find a workout program that you can realistically follow.
If you're busy, that’s okay. I’m not here to scold you because you can’t follow some unrealistic training program that’s designed for a professional athlete with unlimited resources. The good news is that there’s a program out there for everyone.
What are some options here?
Pay for personal training if you struggle with accountability.
Try every kind of workout until you find one you enjoy (kettlebell training, bodyweight training, full-body, pilates, yoga, etc.).
Join an MMA gym. Attending any kind of boxing, kickboxing, jiujitsu, or overall MMA training class will push you like nothing else out there.
Play sports. If you absolutely can’t get into lifting weights, you can always play a sport as your workout.
Whatever you do, you have to find a workout program or routine that you can stick to work your body consistently. It may be challenging at first, but you’ll notice the benefits when it comes to your mood, your energy levels, and confidence.
Try to meet friends for activities instead of happy hour.
I enjoy a drink as much as anyone else out there. However, it won’t help if you only meet with friends to drink and sit around. I also don’t want you to miss out on your social life because of your fitness routine.
Here are a few ways to turn social events into an activity:
Instead of sitting around with friends at the same local pub, go for a walk.
Instead of meeting for wings and beer, try a new activity like rock climbing.
Instead of only meeting up with your social circle to get hammered, consider playing a sport together.
I’m not here to be the fun police. I just want you to try something different so that you have more energy, get into your best shape, and still have an active social life.
Being busy isn’t an excuse to neglect your health. There’s no point in building wealth if you don’t have the health to enjoy it.